


You're Like Coming Home

by allyoop_1



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Fluff, German Eren Yeager, Levi is So Whipped, Love Letters, M/M, POV Outsider, Reincarnation, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-02
Updated: 2016-07-02
Packaged: 2018-07-19 16:09:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7368391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allyoop_1/pseuds/allyoop_1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Levi is a poet, Eren is his muse, and they are about to meet for the first time in 2000 years.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You're Like Coming Home

**Author's Note:**

> I have a secret headcanon that Levi expresses himself beautifully through the written word even if he is an awkward pineapple when it comes to conversation in real life.

Nora sprinted for Gate E5, arriving just as they were shutting the hatch to the boarding dock.

“Wait!” she called, waving her ticket in the hand not occupied by her overflowing tote. “I’m on this plane!”

A stewardess with a tight blonde up-do and tired eyes glanced back at her and grabbed the door before it could seal. She held it open with a trademark “I don’t want to be here but I work in public service” smile as Nora squeezed through the gap.

“You’re just in time, Miss. Five more seconds and you would have been stuck in Boston.”

“Yes, well,” Nora panted, shrugging. “Delays, ya know?”

In a rare display of actual emotion, the stewardess shot her a smile in weary comradery. “Believe me, I know. Here, I’ll show you to your seat.”

It turned out that this flight was on one of those dinky little planes with only three seats across. Unfortunately Nora was on the side that had a partner, though she was in the aisle and didn’t have to force anyone to move so she could slide in. Moving closer, she noticed that her partner was already seated, head settled in his hand as he gazed out the window.

Brown hair that fell messily across his forehead, a jawline that cut sharp across his face, and eyelashes so thick she was almost jealous all had her breath catching in her throat. He was tall, his knees pressing tightly to the seat in front of him and his body looking cramped in the tiny space allotted to him by those greedy bastards at American Airlines. Despite the pain he had to be feeling, he still turned to Nora with a bright smile that lit up the surrounding area and politely extended a hand as she sat beside him.

“Hallo! My name is Eren. Is very nice to meet you.”

Oh, and an accent too. Nice. If she wasn’t in the middle of a hate-fest for men she might even try to get his number.

“Nora,” she smiled in return, shaking the proffered hand. “That’s quite the accent you’ve got there. Polish?”

“German,” he corrected kindly. “But people often confuse.”

“Wow, Germany huh?” Nora asked, impressed. “I bet that plane ride was long.”

Eren nodded and Nora noticed the dark circles under his golden eyes for the first time. “It is true. But in my mind is worth it.”

“What brings you to the States?”

“I come for a visit,” he smiled and then inclined his head at her. “And you? You come to Chicago for friend?”

Nora shrugged, not really wanting to unload her divorce sob story on this perfectly nice German boy. “Eh, just wanted to go home for a while.”

Eren hummed. “Yes, this is always nice.”

It was then that the plane gave a lurch and started to back up on the runway. Eren turned back to the window to watch the takeoff and Nora popped her headphones in. The flight was only three hours, not long enough to really sleep but not enough to get any in-flight entertainment, so she figured she’d pass the time with some Stevie Nicks.

About an hour in her partner must have grown bored with watching the clouds pass by out the window because he dug into his small satchel for a thick binder. Pulling it out and flipping the latch, he procured a thick stack of paper bound with a ribbon from inside. He delicately slipped the ribbon off, hand trailing down the first of the pages, and Nora felt a rush of curiosity.

He read through some for a while, gold eyes riveted by the words on the page, before setting the papers aside and glancing her way.

“I hope I do not bother, but I use the restroom, yes?”

Nora nodded, unclicking her seatbelt and standing to make room for him to pass. He smiled as he slipped by her, and Nora almost felt bad as she slid back into her seat and grabbed the stack he had left behind.

Almost.

The papers had all once been folded into thirds, she noted, and were well-worn, almost as if they had been pored over thousands of times. The same delicate script flowed across each one, handwritten words that must have taken ages to inscribe. Nora examined the top page and paused.

It was a letter, she realized, and it was dated nearly two years ago.

 _Eren_ , it began in flowing cursive writing.  

_For the most part, I don’t feel lonely during the days._

_The shop and Izzie keep me busy enough, especially this time of the year when everyone decides they need some flora and fauna to counteract the cold that has seeped into this city’s old bones. You would be proud how many times she manages to get me to go out with the rest, lunch dates and museum outings I pretend to hate but secretly relish in because we’re allowed to this time around. She takes care of me, Izzie, and I do so in return; it’s not the weight of humanity’s hope on my shoulders any longer, but a duty to a young girl from a broken home and I take it just as seriously. But it’s good for me, going out. It is during the day that I can pretend everything is alright, that Izzie’s laughter and Hanji’s eccentrics and my mother’s cooking are enough to fill the ache that I hide so deep in my chest._

_It’s only after the sun has set and I’m lying awake in the small flat above the store, insomnia my only companion, that I’m not able to keep up the pretense any longer. Instead, I feel wisps of loneliness stir in my chest and seep out until they have collected in every hollow of my body, so deep that even when I press my palms against my eyes I can still see a hint of that beseeching golden gaze in the fireworks behind my eyelids. Every night I toss and turn to the same horror reel of images, friend after friend dying for a cause I’m not even sure I ever believed in, but it’s only one figure, one pair of eyes, that can turn the wisps into lead weights, pinning my body to the sheets with a heaviness that will only let up with the morning light._

_I miss the weight of your body beside mine, the warmth from your arms that draws from the heat in your heart, and my body grows colder the longer you are away..._

Holy shit, it was a _love_ letter. And not just one, but what looked like _hundreds._ Nora paused, her hand hovering over the first page. This was a major invasion of privacy and she really should stop.

She flipped the page.

_We didn’t get nearly as long as I’d have liked back then, though it was more than I thought I deserved. Did you know, I wonder, that your fiery assertions of my heroism were the only ones I ever listened to? That I never believed myself capable of any emotion save the deadly cocktail of dulled resignation and guilt that poisoned my every thought until you whispered your love into my ear and I suddenly knew what it was to feel joy, pure and unadulterated? Of course not, because I never told you and that has been one of my greatest regrets…_

Another page flip.

_The moon shines cold in the sky tonight and I find myself wishing for the sun instead so I might better remember the color of your eyes…_

Nora was so engrossed in the words on the page that she didn’t notice the shadow that fell over her. “Beautiful, yes?”

Nora jumped, almost dropping the stack of letters as her head snapped up. Eren was standing in the aisle, bangs shading his eyes so that she couldn’t read them.

“Shit, I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed, fumbling the letters back into his hands. “I-I didn’t mean---” No, that was a lie. She dropped her head. “I’m sorry. I was curious.”

Eren shrugged, stepping over her legs and settling back into his seat. “It is no worry. I am very curious too. How do you Americans say--- curiosity is for cats?”

Nora chuckled, still feeling sheepish for being caught snooping on something so private. “Close enough.”

She shot a glance in his direction. He was smiling down at the letters again, looking as if he really wasn’t bothered by her prying. She turned, garnering his attention.    

“Someone must really love you to write you those.” She gestured to the letters.

“Yes, I do believe,” he said, eyes soft and affection coloring his tone. “I meet him today.”

“In the airport?” Nora asked, not missing the pronoun he used. Eren nodded and she exclaimed, “That’s amazing! Have you two ever met in person before or is this the first time?”

“Both,” he grinned at her and she figured something must have been lost in translation. She let it slide, opting for a new topic.   

“He’s pretty old fashioned to be sending letters,” she quipped and Eren laughed, gold eyes crinkling at the corners.

“Oh yes, very old fashioned. To him technology is… how do you say…?” His brow furrowed before his eyes brightened and he grinned. “Lazy. He believes writing letter is more beautiful.” A small smile tugged at his lips as he looked back down at the notes in his hands. “He is silly, but I think he is not wrong.”

Nora’s heart swelled; this boy was just too cute. Lately she had been having trouble believing in love, but this kid right here made her fervently wish it was real just for him. His lover better live up to his pretty words or Nora was going to kick his ass, fancy declarations or no.

As the ride went on and they eventually started their descent, Eren began to fidget more and more. He revolved between chewing on his thumbnail, scratching absently at a reddening patch on the nape of his neck, and shaking his leg. It got to the point where his knee was bouncing up and down so violently that Nora had to lay a hand on it or she’d get dizzy.

“I am sorry,” he grinned sheepishly, a blush stealing across his cheeks. “I will discontinue.”

“You’re nervous about meeting him?” Nora hazarded and Eren nodded, gazing out the window as they pulled through a  cloud burst.

“I miss him very much, but we have not had meeting for a long time. I worry that I am too different than his memory.” 

“Well, that’s just stupid,” Nora said, cocking an eyebrow. “This guy wrote you hundreds of letters like some real life Nicholas Sparks character and you still think he is anything but hopelessly in love with you? Nah, this guy is whipped--- you take advantage of that while you can.”

Eren laughed again and Nora was glad to see that he looked a little less nervous than before. “Ah, but I have been ‘whipped’ too, probably even more.”

Nora snorted. “You probably shouldn’t say it like that, but yeah, I get it.”

After that, Eren was calmer as they landed and then taxied to the boarding dock. Once the pilot cleared them to leave, Eren turned towards her.

“I am very glad to meet you today--- you are very kind. I wish you much luck with your family.”

Nora returned his large smile and cocked her head. “It was good meeting you too. Good luck to you as well.”

She turned to get up, but felt a hand on her shoulder.

“And Nora?”

She cocked her head, encouraging him to continue, and he gazed up at her imploringly.

“You should not give up on love. There is much left in the world, I think.”

Nora blinked at him “How did you…?”

Eren winked, easy smile lighting up his face as he gestured to her purse and the divorce files poking out the top. “You are not the only cat in this plane.”

Nora felt a smile steal over her face and she shook her head. “No, I suppose not.” She placed her hand over Eren’s. “Thank you. Now get out there and get your man, Loverboy!”

He blushed, but nodded resolutely and Nora turned back around.

When the mad rush to get off the plane was over, Nora fished her bag out of the overhead bins and made her way out to the terminal. She didn’t see her parents anywhere around so she sat her bag down and leaned against a pillar, muscles sore after sitting so long.

After a couple of minutes, she was just about to say screw it and call her mom when she noticed a man just in front of the baggage claim. Foot tapping impatiently and inky black hair flopping in his eyes every time he checked his watch, he scowled at everyone exiting the gate. Nora swiveled between him and the boarding dock, trying to figure out what had him so pissed when his arms suddenly dropped and his eyes widened. Following his gaze, Nora watched as Eren strolled out of the gate, fiddling with the bag resting on his hip. When he looked up, he froze, posture mirroring that of the man with the dark hair.

They stared at each other for a moment before the man huffed, looking affronted.

“You had to be a fucking giant again, didn’t you?”

And then Eren’s face was crumpling as he breathed out a broken “Levi” and they both took the last few steps to collapse in each other’s arms. The two became one and Nora couldn’t make sense of the clash of arms and hands as they wound together in a hopeless tangle.

“God Eren,” she heard the man press into Eren’s shoulder. “I’ve missed you.”

“I too. I miss you so much,” Eren said wetly, clutching desperately at the other’s back.

The man pulled back enough to see Eren’s face, hands coming up to wipe at the tears shining on his cheeks.

“Why are you crying, brat?”

“It has been 2000 years, Levi,” the boy said haughtily, nose lifting in the air even as he grinned. “I cry all I want.”

Nora snorted. 2000 years? This kid was a bit of an exaggerator.

The man- Levi- seemed to agree, though, because he pushed onto his toes to kiss Eren. It didn’t look like the first time, or the second, or even the fiftieth--- the easy way their lips fit together as they both sighed into the embrace seemed to mark it as at least the thousandth time they’d come together like this. After a moment, Eren pulled back and cupped the man’s face gently between his large palms. He traced a thumb over the other’s small smile.

“This is new.”

The man blushed and turned his head away, but Eren brought it back, grinning sweetly. “I like it. Very much I like it.”

They gazed into each other’s eyes, bodies fitting together like a solved puzzle, and the moment was so intimate that Nora turned away, figuring they deserved as much privacy as they could get in the crowded airport terminal.

She couldn’t help one last glance back, though, as she made her way towards the outside doors to wait for her parents. The two were smiling into another kiss, Eren bending the man nearly backwards as he cradled him in long arms. It didn’t look like they were going to separate for a long time and Nora grinned.

Maybe there was some love left in this world after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry if my awful attempt at foreigner vocab offended you... but thanks for reading anyway! Kudos and comments much appreciated as always:)


End file.
